I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
by abovetheruins
Summary: He had all the warmth he needed right here. Kio/Yayoi


_Pairing:_ Kio/Yayoi

_Rating:_ T

_Warnings:_ Established relationship between an adult and a minor. Slash. Since you're reading Loveless, I guess this won't bother you. :)

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own them. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

_Notes:_ What can I say, I had a lot of fun writing this. XD

I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

_'I-It's...so...f-freezing...'_ His teeth chattered beneath the relative warmness of his scarf, and he shivered, wrapping his arms around his torso. The package crushed against his chest prevented him from gaining any extra warmth, however, and he sniffled miserably. Why did it have to be so cold?! He'd worn practically everything he owned and still the cold seeped into his skin, rattling his bones. It didn't help that it had apparently rained overnight; puddles dotted the streets, the water no doubt cold as ice. At to that the shriveled, leafless trees that lined the road and it was clear that winter was at its peak.

Yayoi sighed, his breath rising in a foggy mist. His eyes drifted to the tin held in his arms, and he smiled slightly, even though his lips were beginning to sting from the bitter cold. A small amount of heat trickled through the box's sides; he could feel it, barely, through his mittens. He imagined the look on Kio's face when he appeared on his doorstep, the cookies he had spent so long making pressed into his hands.

Pink blossomed on his pale cheeks as the smile spread across his lips. It had taken some practice -alright, a _lot_ of practice- and many frustrating hours following the recipe his mother had fished out for him, until the cookies were just right. They weren't perfect, of course. Yayoi had adamantly refused any help from his mother, assuring her and himself that he could get the cookies baked on his own. The end result had been twenty four slightly distorted, golden brown sugar cookies shaped like stars and moons. His stomach rumbled as he remembered the sight of them, but he would wait until he reached his destination to try one for himself.

"If I can even _get_ there before freezing to death," he muttered, his shoulders quivering as a sudden wind picked up, blowing bitter cold air against his skin. The thought of soon being in Kio's warm apartment was enough to keep him moving, though, and so he continued on, occasionally glancing at the sky. It was darker today, riddled with deep blue gray clouds just waiting to burst. He wondered how long it would be until the snow finally fell; the weather reports had been broadcasting it all week. A snow storm was on its way, they said.

_'It'll be soon,'_ he thought, his teeth continuing to clack. In retrospect it probably hadn't been a very good idea to walk in this weather. He could have always called Kio first or gotten a taxi to take him to the older man's apartment. _'But I wanted it to be a surprise.'_ He nodded to himself, clutching the tin of cookies just a bit tighter to his chest. It seemed the perfect day to do it, too. He was sure his lover would appreciate his gift, especially with the weather as chilling as it was.

Determination set his jaw._'Suck it up, Yayoi!'_ He scolded, frowning. _'It's just a little cold! You can handle it! Besides, just think of how happy Kio will be, once he sees what you made him...'_ His lips quirked into a smile, his eyes glinting. _'It's not that far away, anyway. Just a few more blocks and...'_ He pumped his fist into the air, a bounce in his step as he picked up his pace, eager to get to his lover's apartment...

...only to fall flat on his face as his feet hit a slippery patch of sidewalk.

'...' For a moment he remained as he was, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the slightly cracked sidewalk beneath his face. He could feel a wet chill creeping through his clothes; apparently he had landed in one of the puddles left over from last nights downpour. With a groan he raised his chin off of the cold ground, his gloved hands rubbing tenderly at his forehead where it had smacked against it. His ears pressed flat against his head. _'Not the most graceful of landings,'_ he thought with a pained smirk, wincing. He suddenly remembered that his arms should not feel quite as empty as they did, and with frantic eyes he searched for the tin that had apparently slipped from his grasp. He felt a momentary sense of panic as he looked and found nothing. All of his work gone to waste left him feeling far worse than his abrupt face plant a few moments ago, his heart twinging painfully. He couldn't have lost it...

A quick glance to his side had him breathing a shaky sigh of relief, a soggy laugh escaping his lips. The tin had flown from his grasp to land a few feet away against the withered bark of one of the trees lining the road. He scrambled to his feet and picked it up, wincing at the slight pain in his knees. He'd probably scraped them when he'd fallen.

Thankfully the tin was undamaged. The lid had been jarred but thankfully had not flown off, and a glance inside showed that the cookies remained untouched._'Thank Kami for small favors,'_ he thought, wiping a bit desperately at his eyes. His forehead still stung a bit but he ignored it, knowing that a bruise was probably already forming, and his clothes felt like icicles against his skin. He sighed and hugged his cookies to his chest once more, as if he could garner more warmth from them.

_'This isn't exactly how I planned this all out,'_ he thought, shivering as he continued to walk, being mindful of any wet, slippery patches.

-

He was shivering uncontrollably when he finally made it to Kio's apartment complex, and quite sure that his nose and ears were frozen solid. The tin rattled against his chest as he raised a trembling hand, his gloved fist rapping on the door three times. He huddled down into his slightly damp scarf and waited, steam rising from his mouth each time he drew breath.

He could hear faint rustling from the other side of the door, followed by quick footsteps. He almost cried with relief as the door was pulled open, Kio poking his head out into the cold. His lover's violet eyes widened almost comically when he saw him, and Yayoi grinned shakily. "K-Kio," he murmured, teeth chattering. "A-aren't you g-gonna let me i-in...?"

Kio seemed to brake out of his shocked trance at the sound of the younger boy's voice. In record speed the cat-eared teen felt himself wrapped in two long arms and pulled into the apartment, the door shut behind them and sealing off the awful cold.

With a cry that was somewhere between a sigh and a moan, Yayoi pressed into the warmth of Kio's, one frozen hand clenching into the fabric of the older man's sweater, shivering from head to toe.

"Yayoi..." He felt Kio's hands run through his hair and over his ears, which were twitching and pressing against his scalp. "What were you doing out in that cold?!" His hands rested on the boy's shoulders and he shrieked, quickly pulling the scarf from Yayoi's neck and working on the buttons to his coat.

Yayoi watched his lover's fingers with wide eyes, watching as one button snapped free after another. His hands clutched at the wandering digits, trying to stop their assent. "K-Kio!" he cried, his heart pounding. "W-what are you d-doing?!" This time, he knew, the stammer in his voice was not brought about by the cold.

Kio stared at him as if that had been the stupidest question in the world. "I'm getting you out of these clothes," he muttered, pushing Yayoi's protesting hand away. "What did you think I was doing?" At Yayoi's mortified expression he realized what exactly his younger lover must be thinking. Warmth flushed across his cheeks at the image _that_ conjured up in his head, but he tried to act as if he was unaffected, going about his task with his eyes firmly avoiding Yayoi's face. "Your clothes are wet," he explained, pulling the last button free and sliding the coat down the younger's arms. "You'll get sick if you stay in them any longer." He worked on pulling the soggy gloves away from Yayoi's fingers, dropping them beside the coat and scarf on the floor. "I'll get you some new clothes to put on while these dry." He finally allowed their eyes to meet, taking in Yayoi's pink cheeks with a grin stretching across his lips.

"You can go take care of the rest," he murmured, rising from the kneeling position he had fallen to on the floor. He pressed his lips against Yayoi's forehead, feeling the soft intake of breath from the younger's mouth before he turned him in the direction of the bathroom, lightly pushing against his shoulders. "Just lay all of your wet things on the counter," he said, crossing over the closet door. "I'll find you something to put on."

Yayoi nodded once, not trusting himself to speak, before hurrying to the bathroom and closing the door behind him. His breath rushed past his lips as he leaned his back against the frame, his heart racing beneath his chest. The feeling of Kio's lips on his forehead still lingered, the only warm spot on his body except for his flushed cheeks. He squeaked as a knock sounded on the door, hurriedly twisting the knob with shaky fingers and pulling it open.

Kio smiled down at him, pressing a bundle of something soft and warm into his hands. "Need any help?" he asked, his grin stretching across his tan lips. Yayoi squeaked and shook his head, closing the door with a snap as he retreated back into the relative safety of the bathroom.

He could hear Kio's laughter echoing through the door as he walked away.

-

Kio plucked two cups down on the kitchen counter, humming as he checked the pot of boiling water. With a small grin he ripped two packages of instant cocoa mix, dropping the powdery substance in the two cups. If he strained his ears he could hear Yayoi moving about in the bathroom, and the soft plop of soggy clothes hitting the tiled floor. He tried _not_ to imagine what his younger lover must look like, shivering and skin pinkened by the cold. It was hard enough to resist going in there and wrapping the boy up in nothing but his arms as it was; he definitely didn't need the mental picture to go along with it.

He thought back to Yayoi's flushed face as he was unbuttoning his coat and grinned, cutting the stove off and shifting the pot of boiling water over the sink. The boy really was too cute for his own good. He poured the steaming water into both cups, setting the pot into the sink and grabbing a spoon from the drawer, twirling it around through one cup and then the other. He sighed as the smell of freshly brewed cocoa filled the apartment, eyes gazing around the kitchen/living room/bedroom that was his home.

His eyes fell on a tin sitting by the pile of Yayoi's clothing, eyes curious as he crossed over to pick it up. In the commotion of seeing his lover and wanting him to get into some warmer clothes he hadn't even noticed the tin the younger boy must have been carrying. With a glance toward the closed bathroom door he pried open the lid, peering inside.

The sweet, sugary smell of fresh baked cookies filled his nose, a smile on his lips as he saw the pile of golden brown moons and stars. His mouth watered at the mere sight of them, and he stole a glance at the door before plucking one up from the container and popping it into his mouth.

_'Mmmm.'_ He chewed on the cookie as he leaned against the counter, warmth coating his tongue. He licked his lips and caught the last traces of sugar from his fingers. _'Delicious.'_

"U-um...K-Kio?" He spun around at the soft voice, swallowing the last of the cookie in a hard gulp. Yayoi stood timidly in the center of the room, an embarrassed flush across his cheeks. The sweater Kio had given him to wear was a bit too large on him, the sleeves hanging past his fingertips and a little off his shoulder. The lounge pants he had given him to wear trailed over his feet; he was holding up the waistband with tight fingers, his eyes lingering on the floor.

"..." Kio couldn't help but stare at his younger lover, fingers slack against his sides. He fought down the rise of heated blood in his veins and twisted his fingers in his own sweater. He glared up at the ceiling for a moment, cursing Kami for trying his self control like this, before crossing over to stand in front of Yayoi, kneeling so that he could look up into the dark haired boy's face.

With fingers that trembled only a little, Kio reached forward for the waistband of the pants, sliding around until he found the strings that would tighten it. Yayoi's breath hitched above him, his small chest rising and falling as Kio's fingers brushed just barely against his stomach.

His own breath quickened at the sight, the feel of soft skin beneath his fingertips sending a jolt down his spine. For Yayoi's sake as much as his own he made quick work of tying the strings into a knot. The pants still hung low on Yayoi's hips, but were at least in no danger of falling off.

"There. How's that?" His breath came out more breathy than he would have liked, and he shook his head free of the images that clung like wisps of smoke to his mind, standing up and putting some small amount of distance between them. Yayoi smiled shakily and wrapped his arms around his torso, trying to ignore the embarrassment that welled up in his chest.

"Um..." He tried to focus his eyes on anything but his lover, spotting the tin lying on the counter. "Oh! Did you try the cookies?" he asked, nervously moving past the blond to pluck a sugary treat for himself. He took a cautious bite and chewed nervously, aware that Kio's eyes were still fixed on him. Sugar and warmth coated his tongue and he grinned radiantly, savoring the taste. 'I actually did it,' he thought happily, popping the rest of the cookie into his mouth. 'All on my own, and I didn't mess it up.'

He jumped as heat suddenly flared across his back, blushing as he glanced over his shoulder to see Kio's face a scant inch from his own. His lover's honey colored hair swept along his cheek and neck, tickling his skin, and his scent filled Yayoi's nose, candy and paint and something distinctly Kio. His ears twitched atop his head in two frantic jerks before he swallowed hard, opening his mouth and hoping more than a squeak came out. "W-what are you...?"

"Did you make these for me, Yayoi?" Kio's breath swept along his neck, hid fingers reaching for another cookie. Yayoi shivered at the sensation and feebly nodded his head, unconsciously leaning back into the older man's warmth. Kio grinned, resting his chin against Yayoi's shoulder as he chewed lazily. He wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and pulled him against his chest, pressing a kiss to the warm skin of his cheek. "Delicious," he whispered, wondering himself what he was actually referring to. His chest rumbled with laughter as he caught sight of Yayoi's red face before he slipped a hand beneath the boy's knees and back and lifted him away from the counter.

Yayoi shrieked, arms instantly locked onto Kio's neck as he was spun around, eyes wide. "K-Kio!" he cried, an unintentional giggle escaping his mouth. "P-put me down!"

Kio chuckled, violet eyes glinting. "As you wish!" He bounced Yayoi into the air and dropped his arms. Yayoi found himself on a soft mass of rumpled sheets, breathing hard and staring up at his lover, who was leaning over him, hands pressed to the mattress on either side of his head.

Kio grinned down at him, pressing his head into the crook of Yayoi's neck. The younger boy chuckled quietly as the blond began to move, nuzzling into the soft skin at his throat like a cat. He pressed his hand against the back of Kio's head, rustling through the soft strands of his hair. He closed his eyes as he settled back into the mattress, feeling warmer than he could ever remember feeling. The cold from this morning had seeped away from his body and back to where it belonged, away from this heat he shared with his lover.

"Mmm..." A rumbling purr vibrated against his throat, Kio's lips moving against the skin with every word he spoke. "I'm glad you came, Yayoi," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around the younger boy's waist. "I was getting so cold all by myself."

Yayoi smiled against Kio's mussed hair, moving his arms so that they could wrap around the older man. He thought of how frozen he had been just a few minutes ago, and how warm he felt now, feeling as though no amount of cold could pull this heat from him.

He held his breath as Kio pulled back, until their noses brushed. Slanted violet eyes stared into his own blue orbs and he flushed, feeling his heart start to pound beneath the warm confines of the sweater that smelled so much like his lover. He closed his eyes in anticipation as soft lips melded with his own, a tiny whimper escaping his throat as Kio's hand tangled in his hair, nails scratching lightly against his cat ears.

A whisper of his name passed between their lips as they parted, only to be sealed again with a new rush of fervor. Fingers pressed against his cheek and trailed down his shoulder to knead at his side, soft gasps filling the apartment. A velvety tongue swept along his bottom lip and Yayoi moaned, parting his own lips and trembling as the kiss deepened. It felt as though the coldness from before had not even existed at all. He couldn't remember a time without this heat.

A warm hand swept beneath the barrier of his sweater and slipped along his trembling stomach. With a gasp Yayoi pulled away, wide eyes and flushed cheeks and hard breaths and so innocent...

Kio swallowed hard and withdrew his hand, wrapping both arms around his shaking lover and pulling him close, placing butterfly kisses on his cheeks and forehead, nuzzling his head into the soft furry ears that he just didn't have the heart to take.

"Not yet," he whispered, kissing one and then the other, laughing softly as they twitched beneath his lips. Yayoi stared at him with wide blue eyes and a small, nervous smile, his arms encircling the older man's waist in a firm grip, face nestled in the crook of his neck.

Kio smiled at the adorable sight, closing his eyes as they settled against the mattress. He reached down and grabbed hold of the rumpled sheets at the foot of the bed, pulling them up and over the both of them until it rested at their necks. He watched with a heart still hammering in his chest as Yayoi curled against him like the kitten he was and slipped into sleep, small puffs of warm air slipping past his lips.

Grinning, Kio glanced at the counter, spotting the two still steaming cups of hot chocolate sitting untouched. He gazed at the boy at his side and shook his head, pulling him closer as he too drifted off into sleep.

He had all the warmth he needed right here.


End file.
